Couple lie to children and tell them their birthday is on different day each year for very important reason
For most people, your date of birth is a big part of your identity.
As well as it dictating your star sign and all of that jazz, it's the one day of the year which you look forward to every 12 months - as for that special 24 hours, it's all about you.
But unlike the rest of the world, these two kids are growing another year older while still being non the wiser that their parents swap the date of their birthdays each year.
According to Abbie Guy, 26, and her husband Callum, 'lying to their children' about which day they entered this world on is the best way for them to give the little ones a brilliant birthday.
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Different strokes for different folks, eh?
The mum and her Carlisle United midfielder husband, 27, say that their five-year-old daughter Ava and their three-year-old son George still haven't cottoned on to all the chopping and changing after all these years.
I'm sure a lot of parents reading this have been flung into quite a panic at the sheer thought of this scenario and all the confusion which will no doubt come when the kids get older, but the couple insist their deception is for the greater good.
Abbie and Callum came up with the bizarre birthday swap idea so that they could ensure that both of them could be there to celebrate with their two little ones despite their hectic schedules.
It's mainly their dad's fault to be honest - as Callum's footballing career means he is often training or playing in a match when it's his children's birthdays.
To combat this issue, the pair decided to just tell Ava and George that their birthdays are on a different day than they actually are, so that the four of them can all celebrate together when the 27-year-old has time off.
Abbie explained: "It must've been Ava's second birthday when my husband couldn't be there because he had an away game. That's when we started it.
"We never wanted him to have to miss out again and we never wanted Ava to miss out on having her dad there on her birthday. As they get older, I totally appreciate that we won't be able to do this forever.
"However, while they’re still so young, we want to make things as magical as we can with the whole family together."
The stay-at-home mum, from Nottingham, explained it was actually her mother, Carla Bentley, 49, who gave her the idea.
Abbie's mum also had a demanding job which saw her miss out on birthdays, so she's done this dance before.
Speaking of how the birthday switch works, the 26-year-old explained: "It was Ava's fifth birthday on August 13 - Callum was at work because there was a game, so we told Ava her birthday was on the Sunday before.
"On the Sunday, Ava woke up and opened all her presents, we had a big birthday party with 20 of her friends at soft play and a family dinner in the evening.
"Callum's parents came up to celebrate, she got all her presents and cards - that was her birthday.
"Then on the Tuesday, the day of her actual birthday, we still made the day nice and went out for dinner with my friends.
"But we didn't do presents or cards or anything and I didn't say 'happy birthday' or anything like that."
Abbie said they tend to move their kids birthdays to Callum's days off - either the closest one before or the next one after.
She shared the details of her birthday swap idea in a TikTok video that subsequently went viral, which she admitted received 'mixed reactions' from social media users.
"But on the most part people were actually fairly positive," Abbie said. "I had quite a lot of people being like 'OMG, why have I not thought of this?' and NHS workers and other people in demanding jobs sharing their experiences, like celebrating Christmas on Boxing Day instead.
"I think people generally understand that a child would rather celebrate their special day with both of their parents if they can."
While this has been going on for the last three years now, Abbie reckons her kids will take it well when she eventually breaks the news to them.
"Ava and George are still so young, dates just don't really mean anything to them at this age," she added. "Ava knows her birthday is in August but beyond that, she just wouldn't know.
"I will 100 percent keep getting away with it for as long as I can.
"It's like 'no harm, no foul' - I genuinely think it's the best thing to do so that they have the most magical day."
Olivia Burke